Kitchen
Pair different types of timber together Another way to try the colour blocking trend if you’re not a big fan of colour and want to decorate your kitchen in a natural palette is to construct your cabinetry using different coloured timbers. To ensure your timber-on-timber look doesn’t appear too busy, orient the panels so that the grains run in the same direction. If your kitchen is compact in size, consider using horizontal woodgrain panels (like the ones used in this space), as they create the illusion of spaciousness.
Shelving looks great, but can pose a practical problem if it becomes a dust collector. The benefits of shelving are clear: easy access to the things you use regularly, personality through the design and placement of the shelves themselves, and the opportunity to display the things you love. To maximise the appeal while minimising the hassle, ensure shelving is at an accessible height for easy cleaning, and don’t over-shelve your kitchen. This is a feature best used in moderation unless you are prepared to commit to the maintenance needed to keep it at its best.
The dark side There are lots of great reasons to choose darker colours in your palette and throw out the ‘rule’ that dark colours always make a room ‘cold’ or ‘cavelike’. On the contrary, modern colour trends of blacks, browns and greys can bring warmth, personality and sophistication to your kitchen while also giving you the opportunity to get creative with colour accents. If you are using dark colours, ensure you have plenty of natural light, from large windows and skylights, to ensure the darker colours don’t suck too much light from the room. Offset darker cabinetry with vibrant moments of colour in the form of accessories, stools or even artwork, as seen in this fun kitchen. Alternatively, if you like the darker colours but don’t necessarily want to make them a base, try using accents of it in your kitchen – it might be in the form of a floating shelf, pendant lights or barstools.
Mid-century Modern When designing a Mid-Century modern kitchen, you are looking for small accents of Mid-century placed throughout a modern design. When designing in this style, I start by designing a modern cabinetry base with clean lines. Once the cabinetry design is completed, I step back and decide how best to bring a Mid-Century feel to my blank canvas through finishes such as veneer or tiles, and original or replica Mid-century accessories – or both. As Mid-century is so popular at the moment, it is easy to find modern design interpretations of the style from larger pieces such as furniture and lighting, to smaller touches such as kitchen accessories. The designer of this kitchen has used a lot of veneer cabinetry to capture a Mid-century Modern style, supported by the choice of gorgeous clear lights.
Solid timber feature pieces In contemporary kitchens, solid timber is being used less frequently in the entire cabinetry due to its relatively higher cost and also a greater awareness of the potential burden on the environment when timber is acquired from non-renewable sources. A great way to still incorporate the nostalgia and pure textural joy of timber is to choose one or two select feature pieces. This may be in the form of a benchtop, as seen in the design above, timber shelving, or one-off pieces of solid timber furniture such as stools. Timber evokes a unique, tactile reaction in us and even a small, well-thought out feature can add something intangible and beautiful to an overall design.
Veneer Veneers are thin, decorative, slices of wood applied to boards and then sealed with clear 2-pack. Veneer can start at the same price point as 2-pack and then increase incrementally or dramatically depending on the species of timber chosen. I personally love using veneer, particularly when designing Mid-century Modern style kitchens. It creates the organic Mid-century aesthetic while also providing the beauty and warmth of timber in a sustainable way. Similar to laminate, veneer can also have matching ABS protected edging to provide extra protection from everyday bumps and accidents that happen in all well-loved and well-used kitchens. In this design, the veneer brings an appealing warmth to a contemporary kitchen, sitting against the cooler elements and creating balance.
2-pack A 2-pack finish is a baked enamel surface, sometimes referred to as emporite, which can be up to 20 per cent more expensive than laminate. The appeal of 2-pack over laminate is that it can be specified in any colour or finish from matt to high gloss. As a designer, I also love the fact that there are no joins, and that edges seamlessly wrap around doors and panels, creating clean, flowing lines. If you are especially rough on your kitchen, 2-pack may be more vulnerable to chipping, but even if this occurs it can be resprayed and look as good as new! This kitchen is an example of the lovely lines and flow that 2-pack can create, as well as a demonstration of mitered handles, which can only be achieved using this product.
Laminate If you’re watching your budget but still want a quality finish, laminate is a good place to start. Laminates have come a long way since ’70s Mission Brown, and there is a wider selection of colours, textures, wood grains and benchtops available than ever. This range means that there are endless opportunities to express individual taste without sinking the entire design budget. Gone are the days of edges peeling back from kitchen doors or chunks being taken out if you accidentally hit a laminated edge with a pot! I only use ABS edging when specifying kitchen finishes as it’s a high-pressure laminate banding that is abrasion-resistant and seals the edges of kitchen doors. At only a few hundred dollars extra, this edging is also a relatively inexpensive way to insure the longevity of a laminate kitchen. This kitchen is a great example of the versatility of laminate, with the bright, fun orange overhead cupboards set off by the contrasting laminate of the lower cabinetry that provides the look and feel of a modern wood veneer.
It’s also important to consider whether you prefer white light or warm light for your kitchen. Madsen recommends LED downlights in a warm white because they are efficient, provide excellent illumination, have low heat output and are cost effective over the life of the bulb,” Madsen says. “It’s only been in the past two years that LEDs have been our preferred under cabinet light; before then LEDs were simply too expensive and unreliable.” TIP: Don’t buy cheap LED lights. Although they may advertise the LED will last 30,000 hours, quite often it is the hardware behind the LED that fails first.
Pendant lights Choosing pendant lighting to go over the island can be the most stressful for homeowners because a design can change the whole look and feel of a kitchen. Madsen advises to firstly make sure the size of the pendant suits the size of the room. “Too often we have seen pendant lights installed that are too large, gaining too much attention to the eye and dominating a space,” he says. Contemporary Kitchen by Union Studio Union Studio SaveEmail But how high should you hang them above the benchtop? “As a general rule, we position the bottom of the pendant 60-70cm above the benchtop surface,” Madsen says. This dimension can change, however, depending on the size of the pendant – smaller pendants can be positioned lower while larger can be placed higher. TIP: Madsen advises checking with your supplier that the pendant cord can be extended to suit the correct height above the benchtop. Keep in mind that it’s often harder to extend pendants hung by a chain.
Ambience According to interior designer Sophie Seeger, ambience is paramount when choosing kitchen lighting. “If you have an eating nook or island bench in the kitchen, then ambient lighting adds another dimension,” Seeger says. “It is a good idea to consider task and general lighting; I think a lighting combination that offers a range of lighting and that is practical and not jarring is LED downlights, some under top cabinetry, and pendants with dimmers for ambience.” Traditional Kitchen by The Kitchen Broker The Kitchen Broker SaveEmail The Kitchen Broker’s managing director Brian Patterson says there is a difference in the way light can create ambience. “Isolation of light centres can add dramatically to ambience and feel,” he says. “Lighting floating down glass, stone or tiles on a splashback that can be seen from outer entertaining areas when all other lighting inside is off can deliver an experience of style and elegance.” Scandinavian Kitchen by Dan Kitchens Australia Dan Kitchens Australia SaveEmail Dimmers allow you to control the intensity of lighting, and the more control you have over lighting the better. Not all lighting types are compatible with dimmers, however – ...
A simple blunder that can destroy even the most well-planned kitchen is severely under lighting the work benches and, even worse, creating shadows that make working in a kitchen unpleasant. Task lighting is important and with the advent of LED strip lighting, all benches can be even lit with undermount lighting. Poorly considered lighting – that is, relying on ceiling lighting alone – might not only result in accidents at the chopping board but will also leave a bland, uninteresting and uninviting look and feel to your kitchen. The inclusion of ambient lighting is especially important to consider in an open-plan space, where the kitchen, dining and living areas are connected. Be sure that the colour of light is a warm white, that you address the switching of each of the lights to allow you the flexibility to illuminate only the areas you wish, and connect all to dimmers so you can change the ambiance depending on the need or occasion. Madsen advises planning the lighting before or during the design of the kitchen, rather than leaving it until the kitchen is complete. “To implement some forms of lighting afterwards would be impossible (under-cabinet lighting, for instance), and ...
Overhead cabinets may be okay without handles if they weren't used often. Overhead cabinet doors can hang down further than the carcass of the cabinet, to create a finger pull lip at the bottom – you just hook your hand under the door and pull it open. They can also come with a push-to-open mechanism attached to the cabinet. You might think that a handleless kitchen would cost less because you don’t have the expense of handles, but it’s actually the opposite. Handleless kitchens, depending on the option you choose, generally cost about 20-50 per cent more than a kitchen with conventional handles.The reason for this is the additional labour involved in the manufacturing process of handleless cabinetry, as well as the cost of specialist hardware required, such as finger pulls or electric mechanisms. It's not worth it for the kitchen.
Want layout more similar to this than an island.
Pop-up powerpoint.
I like how the purple looks against the orangish wood. I also like the large doors opening onto the entertainment area. The windows in the kitchen also look good, particularly when the green outside contrast with the purple and orange in a triad colour scheme. The windows in the kitchen may also open up to serve people.
I want wood-looking porcelain tiles that look like these throughout the whole house!
If you put the sink on the island/bench part that faces living room, the ugly sink tap and handles will black the view..
It looks like this window opens up to the dining room from the kitchen. It is interesting but I don't think I would want it for my house.
This is the feeling I want with the transition between mu kitchen and family room. I don't like the long skinny kitchen, the kitchen island and the open dining room being there though.
This kitchen is too dark.I don't think I would want wood that reddy orange in my house. I would want a wood a bit lighter in colour that would be more neutral and go with a lot more things.
Looks nice but probably not enough cupboard space. I like how the floor contrasts with the walls etc and the room still looks light. I particularly like this colour wood for flooring etc.
There doesn't look like much wasted space between dining room and kitchen although I would like more space between table and window to not rely on bench for seating.
I like the colour scheme.
Stool in the kitchen would be useful. A good way to store cookbooks as you can display them and are more likely to use them.
Cute layout.
Clever cook-out Escape the daily routine of coming home from work to cook dinner and other mundane duties by changing your environment. If you have the space, why not install a purpose-built cookhouse, with dining deck and indoor kitchen featuring a wide and useful bar or servery? By eating out away from the main house, you’ll benefit from the relaxed and casual atmosphere of the outdoors, and get to at least pretend that you are somewhere other than at home.
The design finds some balance in what should be on show and what should be hidden behind cupboard doors. More storage still needed though.
Looks like a long hallway from this angle..
Looks nice even though there is a lot of wood all in the one place although am only seeing it from one angle. I would like a wooden feature wall. I also like the door and window although perhaps this might fade the wood. Where are the doors? Are these pocket doors? That might be nice.
I don't like the photos on the bench top or how the cupboards don't go to the ceiling, therefore requiring dusting.
This kitchen leads to 3 different places which I don't think I see often. I like the lights kind of.
Interesting. It looks like the kitchen might lead to the laundry. Not sure if I would like this. I like the nook. Wish they showed floor plan.
Like how kitchen opens up to deck where there could be a dining table.
Sink not next to wall or window may provide more opportunities for interaction. Windows in kitchen look great but sacrifice overhead storage.
Easier to hide bench-top mess... Although right-hand door is problematic.
Baby railing pocket door is useful.
I like the idea of a computer in the kitchen for recipes
Named draws are interesting.
I like the idea of people sitting at a kitchen bench-top although I'd rather it not be a middle island.
I like the pull out spice draws.
It might save space and time in the kitchen under the right circumstances.
Ramsey did this in a house where the entertainment room opened to the kitchen area. Instead of closing it off with a conventional door, which would seem confining, he proposed a large barn door that slides against the wall, keeping the entertainment area an active part of the kitchen. When the door is shut, the entertainment space becomes a separate, quieter room. I could do this between the family room and kitchen.
Q